A Smile from the Sun
by Lilybud the Storyteller
Summary: is a promise to come when something is wrong, to laugh until the problems are gone, and to be together forever long. After Season 3 finale. [Kainora]


**A Smile from the Sun**

**A Legend of Korra fanfiction story**

**By, Lilybud the Storyteller**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra or its characters. **

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><p>0o0o0<p>

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><p>The sun was a diligent spectator during the celebration. It was a shining crown when Jinora's robe fell from her shoulders, displaying her newly inked arrows of an airbending master. In the afternoon the sun was a trophy of joy, cheering on the benders as they played airball in the court. (Although Tenzin had prior experience on his side, his recruits had no mercy, and pummeled him for twenty games straight in the name of payback from his demanding training schedule.)<p>

The sun was not the only one with keen eyes. Throughout the day, Kai's gaze kept sliding back to Jinora instinctively, whether it was to share a reassuring look, or just to sneak a glance when he thought she wasn't watching. He noticed she was smiling a lot that day, an ear-to-ear grin the normally reserved Jinora wouldn't reveal, but the Airbending Master Jinora would. The smile didn't even have to be directed at him, but at Tenzin or Korra or any of the other recruits giving their congratulations, to make his chest spread with warmth. But when it was for him, when she would giggle at something silly he'd manage to whisper in between mingling with guests, it was the best feeling ever.

Only once did Kai catch Jinora without her grin. Time slipped away. The sun dimmed to a solemn torch while a feast commenced in the dining hall. Food was being passed from plate to plate, and chatter was as constant as a cicada's chirrs. Just as he had throughout that day, Kai found himself constantly glancing at Jinora. The candlelight added a glow in her face and a gleam in her eyes. She was sitting next to her siblings in order of oldest to youngest. Technically she no longer had to sit with the other children now that she was an adult, but with so much attention focused on her, it must have been comforting to relax with her family.

The instant Jinora's ceremony had concluded, Ikki and Meelo had peppered her with questions so fast that only a sister used to such interrogations could keep up. Did the tattoos hurt? Was the ceremony everything she'd imagined it to be? Could they dye the baby bison' arrows blue, too? Yes, yes, and only if they could get past her and an exceedingly protective mommy bison.

The torrent of questions had only been satisfied when the feast made stuffing their faces top priority. That didn't mean Ikki and Meelo were out of ammo, not by a long shot; they were simply at a ceasefire until their stomachs were full. Instead Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo were chattering in the way only siblings do, as far as Kai could gather, with teasing comments that always tiptoed on squabbling.

Apparently tonight was one of those nights where the fine line would be crossed. Meelo leaned over and said something to Jinora. He giggled, but was swiftly silenced with an elbow to the gut delivered by Ikki. Although Ikki tried to be subtle, she only added conspicuousness when she pressed a finger to her mouth and shushed him loud enough that even Kai, sitting five seats away, could hear. A few heads turned towards the shushing, and looked away just as quickly. The thing about adults is that once they see kids bickering, they disregard the fight, pegging it as another passing phase of children; never mind the fact that Jinora's tattoos marked her otherwise. Perhaps that was the reason only Kai noticed when Jinora's smile fell. It was only a second before her grin returned, and it was as if nothing had happened.

Yet Kai felt that something was not right. Jinora was still smiling, but the expression was a shadow of its former self, like when a cloud blocks the sun and only a few watery rays can pass through. Kai shook his head. It was probably just his imagination, nothing more than a little brother going too far. He began forking his egg custard tart—his favorite ever since he tasted it for the first time after he joined the airbenders—but a nagging suspicion weighed in his stomach. And if that wasn't enough to sour his appetite, he found himself now more than ever sneaking glances at Jinora, seeing that contrived look, and feeling the warmth that had spread in his chest turn cold.

So when Jinora stood from her half-eaten plate of food, Kai had to plant his feet on the floor to resist springing up and asking what was wrong. Instead he lowered his head, feigning interest in the completely uninteresting egg custard tart, and peered from under the locks of hair that had fallen in his face. A trick he had used in the streets to look inconspicuous, while really keeping his eyes peeled for trouble or jingling purses. He watched as Jinora walked to where Tenzin and Pema sat at the head of the table and whispered something in their ears; Kai would have traded all the egg custard tart in the world to know what she had said. When Jinora pulled back, Pema caressed her cheek and Tenzin smiled, nodding. Jinora kissed them each on the cheek before walking out of the hall and into the subdued sunlight outside, unnoticed except by two concerned green eyes.

Trying to look as if nothing was wrong, Kai forced himself to shovel the rest of the egg tart into his mouth until his cheeks threatened to burst with custard. When did eating his favorite dessert become a chore?_ What was wrong with him? _

After what seemed like an eternity, the pan was empty and Kai was in the clear. That is, until he belched a belch worthy of an airbender; the chandelier rocked, the candles almost blew out, and hair and dress alike whipped as if caught in a gust of wind. Kai would have found the situation hilarious under any other circumstances, but when conversation froze and all eyes swiveled towards him, he cursed airbending belches. Kai casually leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms over his head.

"That was the best egg custard tart in, like, the history of tarts." It was so deathly silent, he might as well have shouted.

"Thank you, Kai," said Tenzin, his voice restraining a storm. A tic pulsed under his eyebrow.

A moment passed in which the only person who dared to move was Meelo, shaking in his chair to suppress his laughter. "Ow!" Meelo jumped when Ikki, posing with her head high like an angel just then, ostensibly kicked him from under the table.

Kai grinned as brightly as possible. "I think I'll go use the restroom. Just had a big meal, you know."

The legs of his chairs screeched when he stood up, adding an extra layer of frost in the room. "S-s-see you all later!"

With the help of some airbending, he propelled himself out of the hall in record time. If only he hadn't been foolish enough to glance back before he had turned the corner. The look on Tenzin's face…

Goodbye relaxing weekend, hello grueling hours of training.

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><p>0o0o0<p>

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><p>Kai found her sitting on a ledge overlooking the bison barns, her back pressed up against a column and her head tilted down towards an open book; even becoming an airbending master could not compete with reading. For a moment Kai paused behind the column, watching her with a forgotten smile. The sun had sunken halfway below the horizon. Nothing was left untouched by its hazy light, including Jinora's shiny bald head.<p>

"What are you reading?" Kai said. He sat down next to her, swinging his legs off the ledge. Below them baby bison were chasing each other in the air. Occasionally a bison would wobble, panicking as his clumsy feet struggled to tread wind, before he righted himself with a flap of his tail, and rejoined his brethren.

"Oh, hey. I didn't see you there." Jinora looked up from her book. "I was reading a biography about Aang."

"But he's your grandfather. Don't you already know everything about him?"

"A lot, I suppose, but not _everything_. I'm trying to read from a more objective point of view, to learn how people who aren't related see him."

"And? What do you think?"

Jinora dusted off the page with the back of her hand. "It's more or less the same story Tenzin had told me, without as much humor and personal matters included."

While there seemed to be no book Jinora hadn't read, Kai could not count the number of times he had found her with a history book propped open on her lap. History was her favorite subject, and what history was more exciting than one your grandfather had played such a monumental role in himself? So when Kai did not see the sparkle in her eyes he had come to expect whenever Aang was brought up, he knew his concerns were right.

"I just got to the part where Aang wakes up on a Fire Nation ship after Azula almost killed him," she continued. "Grandmother told me he was so upset when he realized his hair had grown back while he was unconscious."

"Why would he be upset? All he had to do is shave it off and he'd be bald again."

A twinkle crept into Jinora's eyes. It was the kind that usually appeared when Kai was missing something obvious—which was about a dozen times a day. Though if it made her happy, then a blow to his intellect was well worth it.

"He couldn't for awhile," she explained. "They were in the Fire Nation, and if anybody saw his tattoos, he would have been caught. So he kept his hair to cover the tattoos. It wasn't until the Day of Black Sun when he shaved his head again."

"I remember," Kai said. "When he tried to fight Lord Ozai, but had to retreat because he couldn't find him."

"Looks like you were paying attention to class after all."

Kai grinned. "Only when you're there to teach it."

Jinora looked stunned. She lowered her head and bit her bottom lip, blushing. Her hand rose to the side of her ear as if to tuck back a lock of hair, then froze when she remembered there was nothing to tuck. Her hand dropped awkwardly on her opened book. Kai realized with a shock that if she hadn't made that insignificant, absentminded gesture, he would have forgotten she had just become bald that day. The fact she had no hair did not bother him; it was a sign of everything she had accomplished. He felt only pride and admiration when he looked at the blue arrows that snaked down her head and traced her body like one, continuous vein. It was like the tattoos were always a part of her, a vital piece that lingered unseen just like her heart, and had only now surfaced on her skin.

"Most male airbenders are bald so their tattoos can be in full sight. It's like badges of honor. That's why Aang was so upset when he had to cover his tattoos. It was like turning his back on his culture," Jinora said, hand rubbing the new ink on her arm.

"But he didn't," Kai pointed out. "If anything, he revived it. You and your family are proof of that. Not to mention those awesome recruits—one, especially."

"Just one?"

"Well, they're all awesome, but I mean one in particular."

"Oh, really?" Jinora chuckled. "And who is this star student?"

"Somebody who's looking forward to getting _his_ badges of honor. When he does, do you think he'd look good with Tenzin's hairdo?" With a mock stern expression, Kai stroked an imaginary goatee in imitation of the airbending master's mannerism. He even cocked an eyebrow in the same way Tenzin did when exasperated.

Apparently the image of Kai substituting his undercut for a rigid goatee was too much for Jinora. She doubled over, arms hugging her sides, and laughing so loud Kai was sure the bison down below were startled by the uproar. Then came a sound, like a cross between a pig-duck oinking and a balloon popping.

"Are you-_snorting_?"

_"_No, I'm—_snort_—" Jinora clapped a hand over her mouth.

Kai sniggered. "You are! You're snorting!"

"I'm—_snort_—not!"

This only made Kai laugh harder.

"S-s-stop it!" Jinora protested, but it was half-hearted. She couldn't inject real malice into her words because she was too busy dissolving into laughter, and the more she laughed, the more snorts spurted out. With each one, Kai was struck again and again of how it was the most endearing sound in the world. He felt proud that he had discovered a detail about her he hadn't known before; another stroke of paint from the picture that was Jinora.

Eventually Jinora gave up on even pretending to be upset, and soon she and Kai were rolling on the floor like the lady-pillbugs Ikki loved to catch. Only when their sides threatened to explode, did they finally settle side-by-side on the floor, their chests heaving and their backs warmed by the sun-kissed tiles.

"So is that a yes or no?" Kai panted.

"Hmm?"

"On getting a goatee."

"Oh." Jinora giggled, but with so little air left in her lungs it came out more like a breath. "You'd be handsome no matter what."

Kai lifted his head. "Seriously?"

"Uh-huh."

There was no stopping the blush rising on his cheeks. Kai cleared his throat. "I thought you would still be at the feast, celebrating. What made you come out here?"

He felt her shoulder shrug against his. "Dinner was winding down, and I thought I should get some fresh air. Today's been kind of crazy, that's all."

"I thought you'd be happy about it."

"I am. I'm finally what I've dreamed of becoming since I was a little girl," she said. "When my ceremony began, when my robe came off and everybody saw my arrows, I don't remember feeling more proud and excited than I had in that moment."

"And you should feel proud. You were amazing up there," Kai said. "But at the feast you got a weird look on your face. I couldn't help getting worried." Kai turned his head so he was looking at her profile. "Are you really okay, Jinora?"

She met his eyes and nodded. "Of course I am, silly. I'm just feeling a little dazed. It's a lot to take in, you know?"

Kai furrowed his brow. He could understand feeling overwhelmed, but he still couldn't get the look on her face before she left out of his mind. The scene was branded on the back of his eyelids, and the pit in stomach hadn't disappeared, either.

"There's something else, isn't there?" When silence stretched out, Kai persisted, "Was it something Meelo said?"

The sigh that came next answered his question.

Kai rolled on his stomach, pushing himself up on his elbows, so he was looking down at Jinora. There were no locks of hair for her eyes to hide underneath, and no smile to disguise the shadow he saw earlier weighing down her lips. Kai felt his chest constrict.

"He said I looked like Aang," Jinora admitted. "It's such a stupid thing. I feel silly getting upset over it."

"Don't be. Meelo's probably just jealous he has to wait years before he gets his tattoos."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know you're right." Jinora sighed. "Like I said, it's silly. I don't remember a time when I didn't want to become an airbending master. I worked so hard at it every day, practicing techniques, studying our culture. It seemed so wonderful." She gave an embarrassed laugh. "I guess I got so caught up in my dream, that I forgot I'd have to lose my hair in the process."

"You shouldn't let it get you down too much." Kai nudged her on the arm. "It'll grow back so fast that you won't even remember being bald. Besides, isn't it kind of cool to have a resemblance of Avatar Aang? People won't mess with you, that's for sure."

"I guess so." Jinora's lips quirked upwards. "I wonder which is worse. That Aang was portrayed as a girl, or that Meelo thought I looked like a boy."

"Your brother must be blind," Kai said. "You're way too beautiful."

The realization of what he had said came a second after the words had left his mouth. Before Kai could quell the heat rising in his cheeks or stammer an apology, Jinora's face appeared in front him; her lips parted slightly, wide brown eyes caramelized by the sunset. A rosy blush dusted her cheeks.

"Do you really mean that, Kai?" When the breath of his name passed her lips, Kai shivered. She was so tantalizingly close. He could smell the scent of paper and ink on her skin.

"Of course," he whispered. Any chance of catching his scattered thoughts blew away when her face broke into a smile-not the mask she had pasted on at the feast, but the _real_ one that made his heart race. It was like seeing the sun for the first time after months of nothing but clouds: bright, beautiful, and breathtaking. Then she leaned down, and their lips brushed. The tips of her fingers touched his face, tracing a line made of sunlight and sparks down to the smooth skin on his chin.

"Word of advice," she whispered, warm breath caressing his ear. "_Never_ get a goatee."

Kai did the only thing he could: laughed and kissed his sun again.


End file.
